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Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Also known as sweet basil, Genovese basil, Thai basil

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The fresh leaves of Ocimum basilicum, used raw or added at the end of cooking because its aroma compounds are heat-sensitive. It is a different species from holy basil, or tulsi, which is Ocimum tenuiflorum.

Antioxidant & Oxidative StressMental Wellbeing

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Insufficient

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Oxidative stress markers

Antioxidant & Oxidative Stress
Insufficient evidence

Basil is dense in rosmarinic acid by laboratory measurement, but human studies using culinary basil with oxidative-stress markers as an endpoint are essentially absent. Nothing can be concluded from the assay data alone.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Stress and anxiety

Mental Wellbeing
Insufficient evidence

Small trials of holy basil, or tulsi, extracts report reductions in perceived stress scores. Holy basil is a different species from the sweet basil used in cooking, the trials used concentrated extracts, and the results should not be read across to pesto.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Basil

Ask about Basil

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories23 kcal1%
Protein3.15 g6%
Total fat0.64 g1%
Carbohydrate2.65 g1%
Fibre1.6 g6%
Total sugars0.3 g—
Water92.1 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.041 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.088 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.389 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.073 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A264 µg29%
Vitamin C18 mg20%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.8 mg5%
Vitamin K415 µg346%
Thiamin (B1)0.034 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.076 mg6%
Niacin (B3)0.902 mg6%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.209 mg4%
Vitamin B60.155 mg9%
Folate68 µg17%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline11.4 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium177 mg14%
Iron3.17 mg18%
Magnesium64 mg15%
Phosphorus56 mg4%
Potassium295 mg6%
Sodium4 mg0%
Zinc0.81 mg7%
Copper0.385 mg43%
Manganese1.15 mg50%
Selenium0.3 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene3142 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin5650 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.49 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Basil, fresh (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172232).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • rawPreserves volatile aroma compounds

    Basil’s aroma compounds are highly volatile and largely destroyed by sustained heat, which is why it is stirred in at the end rather than simmered.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Fresh herbs have been linked to foodborne outbreaks

    Fresh basil has been implicated in outbreaks of cyclosporiasis and hepatitis A, because it is eaten raw and washed rather than cooked. Thorough washing helps but does not fully remove the risk.

  • Allergy

    Oral allergy in mugwort-sensitised people

    Basil belongs to the mint family and occasional reports describe oral itching or swelling in people sensitised to mugwort or other Lamiaceae herbs.

  • Interaction

    Basil essential oil is not the herb

    Basil essential oil is concentrated in estragole and eugenol, and estragole is a compound regulators limit in flavourings because of genotoxicity findings in animals at high doses. Cooking with the leaf does not deliver those exposures.